Monday, April 28, 2014

Google and Go Cooking Day One: White Bean Chicken Chili

This past weekend was a crazy one so my normal meal planning and grocery shopping routines went out the window. Looking ahead, the craziness of the weekend was not ending. In order to avoid five nights of fast food, pizza or lunch meat sandwiches, I turned my attention to my crockpot. My mind instantly filled with a list of meal ideas, but nothing sounded too exciting. It was time for some new recipes!

Being short on time, I decided that I would Google "Top 5 Crockpot Recipes" and simply go with whatever came on the screen regardless of what it was. Let's be crazy and see what happens (I know - pretty sad that this defines excitement in my life.)! The top search result was "Top 10 Slow Cooker Recipes from Taste of Home." I took the first five and created my dinner menu for the week.

Directions
* Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil.

* Stir in the onion and garlic; cook two minutes. Sprinkle with oregano and cumin; cook one minute or until chicken is brown and vegetables tender. Transfer to slow cooker.

* In a small bowl, mash 1 cup of beans; add 1/2 cup of broth and stir until blended. Add to the slow cooker with the remaining beans and broth.

* Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until chicken is tender (Mine was in the crockpot on low for 9 hours.). Stir before serving. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.www.tasteofhome.com

Jenkins Family Reactions
This dish went together very quickly early this morning - a definite plus in my book! Before I even left for work, the house was filled with the savory soup scent. When I returned home this evening, I could smell the soup outside of the front door - YUMMY!!

This dish did not go over very well with my kids. However, it is extremely important to note that I recognize I am a push over when it comes to making my kids eat the full meal that I have prepared. My excuse is that my exhaustion from a day of work makes me weak - not a good excuse at all. Both JJ and Ellie prepared themselves something else to eat when they discovered that they did not like the Chili.

My husband's food schedule for the day did not match the rest of the family. He had eaten lunch at 4PM - just one hour before we sat down for dinner. This is a common problem in our house. Due to his chronic pain his sleeping schedule is constantly out of whack which puts his eating schedule out of whack. All of that un-needed info to tell you that he still hasn't tried it and most likely never will.

That leaves me . . . I really liked it! It was a simple dish with simple taste. The fact that today was a rainy dreary Spring day made this warm chili taste even better. I've set aside two servings for my lunch this week. I'm eager to see how it tastes after sitting for a day.

Since I'm the only one in my family who liked it, I most likely will not make it again. But if you have a family of chili lovers, I would recommend you give it a try. For today it fit my purpose - easy and healthy!

Google and Go Cooking Day One was not too successful. Wonder how Google and Go Cooking Day Two will go? Get ready for Slow Cooker Pork Chops!

2 comments:

I might suggest this recipe and then serve it over rice and have a side bowl of tortilla chips. My kids like to scoop the chili on to the chips and then top with shredded cheese. This is how we eat ground beef chili as well.

What a great idea Beth! I never thought about trying it again, but with a twist!

I was thinking that it may have been more appealing had the chicken been shredded rather than cut into chunks. Besides with chips, it could be served on a tortilla. Thanks for helping me re-think this one!